Stand for Freedom - Day of Action to Stop Ongoing Voting
Rights Attacks

Civil Rights And Labor Leaders Call For Day Of Action To
Stop Ongoing Voting Rights Attacks

NAACP, SEIU 1199, National Action Network, UFT, National
Urban League, N.Y. Civil Liberties Union, National Council
of La Raza, Advancement Project, Asian-American Legal
Defense Fund, Hispanic Federation, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
and others join coalition to stop voter suppression efforts
nationwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2011

Contact: Ronnie Sykes: (917) [log in to unmask]

NEW YORK, NY- NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous and
1199SEIU President George Gresham joined civil rights leader
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Urban League President Marc
Morial, Hispanic Federation President Lillian Rodríguez
López, United Federation of Teachers President Michael
Mulgrew, President of the New York Civil Liberties Union
President Donna Lieberman, Asian-American Legal Defense &
Education Fund Executive Director Margaret Fung and others
today at City Hall to announce the "Stand for Freedom"
voting rights campaign. The coalition of nearly 20 groups
also announced plans for a major mobilization on December
10th - United Nations Human Rights Day - to protest the
attack on voting rights throughout the country.

Stand for Freedom is an aggressive nationwide effort to stop
changes to state election laws that would suppress the
rights of millions of Americans to vote in 2012 and beyond.

"We are in the midst of the greatest coordinated legislative
attack on voting rights since the dawn of Jim Crow," said
Jealous. "Voter ID laws are nothing but reincarnated poll
taxes and literacy tests, and ex-felon voting bans serve the
same purpose today as when they were created in the wake of
the 15th Amendment guaranteeing ex-slaves the vote-
suppressing voting numbers among people of color."

"The so-called problem of voter fraud is a myth, the
percentage is miniscule," said George Gresham, President of
1199SEIU. "These new laws are suddenly being pushed after
the historic 2008 presidential election when Americans
headed to the polls in droves. Now as we prepare for the
2012 elections, it's difficult to believe that this isn't
some kind of ploy to keep poor people, working people, or
people of color away from the polls."

In dozens of states, new rules will create a modern-day poll
tax by requiring voters to obtain and present official photo
ID in order to cast a ballot. In many of these same states,
new laws significantly cut early voting and Sunday voting
opportunities as well.

"National Action Network and I see the assault on voters
with Voter ID laws, the end of early voting, and other
measures as a blatant attempt to undermine the Voter Rights
Act," said Rev. Al Sharpton, President, National Action
Network. "The Nation cannot honor Dr. King and undo his work
at the same time. We will fight it in the courts and in the
streets."

"From the beginning of our nation's founding, Americans have
understood that voting was fundamental to their pursuit of
freedom and equal opportunity," said Lillian Rodríguez
López, President of the Hispanic Federation.  "Any attempt
to undermine the right to vote, especially when that effort
is directed at historically marginalized groups, must be
treated as an attack on the very ideals that created our
country: democracy and equality. And that is why we stand up
for freedom and continue to fight for the right to vote for
all Americans."

African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native
Americans, seniors, students, working women and immigrants
will be disproportionately affected by the new laws, since
many in these communities are less likely to have
identification that complies with these strict rules.

"These block the vote efforts are a response to two factors:
the unprecedented levels of political participation in 2008
by voters of color, and significant growth by communities of
color, as reflected in the 2010 Census," concluded John
Payton, LDF President and Director-Counsel.  "This is a call
to action for us to empower those communities to confront
and to overcome this voting rights assault."

While voters in some states can request free photo IDs from
state motor vehicles departments, they must still pay to
obtain underlying documents, such as birth certificates,
necessary to get the photo ID, possibly discouraging them
from voting as a result.

"Now, just as before, they are seeking to block us from
voting in order to make it easier to come after our other
rights," Said Mike Mulgrew, President of the United
Federation of Teachers. "Everything we care about is at
stake, from the right to a quality education to the right to
a fair wage."

"We are standing up for the fundamental pillar of our
democracy," said Judith Browne-Dianis, Co-Director of the
Advancement Project. "Election Day is the one time we are
all equal in America- rich or poor, black, Latino, Asian,
Native American or white, young or old, we can all cast an
equal vote to determine the shape of our government. Next
year, millions of people could be barred from the voting
booth. We cannot allow our rights to be stolen."

"Instead of getting in the way of civic engagement, we
should be working together to encourage all Americans to
exercise their right to vote," said New York Civil Liberties
Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman.

Supporters of the new legislation, which according to The
New York Times has advanced in 13 states over the past two
months, claim the new rules prevent voter fraud, but
opponents contend they create roadblocks to deter voters.

Rafael Collazo, Campaign Political Director for the National
Council of La Raza (NCLR), added "It's just plain dishonest
to claim that you are cutting back the days people can early
vote or eliminating them entirely to cut down on fraud-
there's just no link between the two and we cannot allow the
proponents of these laws to continue using false arguments
with the American people."

According to a report recently released by the Brennan
Center for Justice, at least 38 states are considering or
have considered voter ID and/or proof of citizenship laws
including: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware.
The battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania were among
those actively moving forward on voter ID legislation.

Hazel Dukes, President of the NAACP NYS Conference, added,
"It is truly disheartening to see that nearly 50 years after
passage of landmark Civil Rights legislation, our nation has
not fully embraced the idea of change and equality. The
enactment of these state election laws is a reflection of a
troubled past that we are forced to relive, and will only
continue to impede progress of America and its people."

National Urban League President Marc Morial contended,
"Attacks on voting rights are nothing short of attacks on
democracy itself.  We join with the NAACP in standing for
freedom to resist these systemic attacks on voting rights."

"For nearly a century, there were Jim Crow laws in place
that discouraged people of color from voting, said Wade
Henderson, President of the Leadership Council on Civil and
Human Rights. "Today, there are different laws, but the
objective is the same-to prevent millions from exercising
their right to vote."

The coalition of civil rights, labor and community groups,
who also participated in today's announcement included:

 *  Margaret Fung, Executive Dir. of the Asian-American
 Legal Defense & Education Fund

 *  Stacie Royster, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

 *  Monifa Bandele, National Coalition On Black Civic
 Participation (NCBCP)

 *  Veronica Byrd, Planned Parenthood

 

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